When not even Jarrod Bowen can come to your rescue – West Ham United shining the ‘Bow Signal’ to no response from their eternal superhero – that is when you know your Premier League status is hanging by a thread.
Nuno Espirito Santo was undone by Marco Silva’s Fulham; his hopes of securing top-flight football next season suffering an almighty blow at the London Stadium.
Nuno famously took over a Nottingham Forest side in relegation danger towards the end of 2023 and turned them into a Europa League outfit. West Ham United appear far too dysfunctional, both on and off the pitch, to stand even the smallest chance of repeating such an impresive feat.
Fulham were there for the taking.
Yet, Crysencio Summerville’s end product was ‘painful’ once again, Lucas Paqueta was anonymous, and even Jarrod Bowen’s usually trusty-finishing deserted him in an encounter high on perspiration but staggeringly low on quality.
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Speaking to the club’s official website following a defeat which leaves the Hammers five points adrift of Nottingham Forest in the relegation zone, Bowen even felt the need to apologise for those who saw him uncharacteristically squander the few opportunities which did come his way.
Jarrod Bowen says sorry for missed chances after West Ham United 0-1 Fulham
Though if there is anyone who does not need to say sorry for the pitiful position West Ham find themselves in, it is the man who has carried the club often single-handedly since Declan Rice’s departure in 2023.
“It’s very frustrating,” Bowen said. “ I thought we had good moments. We got into the final third well and we combined well at times, I thought, but we just didn’t take our chances.
“My chance was probably the biggest one, to put us in the lead. I’ve got to convert that and I take responsibility, as we all have to, because no-one’s going to give us anything in this league.”
It is not quite certain which chance Bowen is referring to.
Perhaps the right-footed drive Bernd Leno tipped over from the angle. Or, maybe, the time Soungoutou Magassa pulled the ball back to him in a more central, close-range position.
While the ball came at Bowen quickly in a crowded penalty area, this was a chance the England international would normally be expected to take.
“When things aren’t going well, it can be easy to point fingers, but ultimately we’re the ones who have to change things,” the skipper adds. “I start with myself first, and I have to demand more from myself, but we all have to demand more from each other.
“A few players spoke after the game, which is good. It’s always hard when there’s emotion after you’ve lost a game, but it’s a really good group here, and we all know that we have to demand more of ourselves. Everyone agrees with that, and we have to stick together.
“No-one’s going to give us anything in this league. The only thing we can do is turn it ourselves, by sticking at it.
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“We have a game on Tuesday [at home to Brighton and Hove Albion]. So now we have to recover well, do the right things, and go back into training with the same mindset. We play Brighton and then we have a run of important games after that, so there’s still loads to play for.
“I think the most important thing is to put the smiles back on the fans’ faces, and give them something to cheer about. Ultimately, we haven’t done that enough this season, but we will keep doing our best to turn this situation around.”
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Nuno also bemoaned a lack of quality at one end and defensive blunders at the other.
His record now stands at a miserable two wins and seven defeats from 13 games since replacing Graham Potter three months ago.
“We played a good game, we had chances, good chances, and then we got punished in the final moments of the game,” Nuno said.
“The first half was equal, both teams controlling, containing, not too many situations on the boxes. The second half I think we started with momentum, we created a lot of good combinations going forward.
“I saw it in that moment that the goal was coming. Everybody felt it, the fans got behind the team, and the boys, the energy was there. And then in the final moment we got punished.”
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